The first global safety regulations for fully autonomous vehicles were adopted at the U.N., setting uniform international requirements that could pave the way for larger-scale rollouts. The framework is expected to enter into force in January 2027.

The first global regulations for fully autonomous vehicles were adopted Wednesday, a U.N. agency said, establishing uniform international safety requirements that could pave the way for larger-scale rollouts of self-driving cars.

Safety concerns and the cost of developing next-level systems have long slowed progress on autonomous vehicles.

As self-driving cars have begun to hit the road in a growing number of cities, fragmented national approaches to regulation have spurred manufacturer fears that vehicles developed for one market could be blocked from others.